Opening statement:
Jackson: "Very exciting time. We were able to add a very dynamic football player to our team in (WR) Corey Coleman. What a tremendous athlete and the suddenness and quickness, and I said earlier, we plan on being very dynamic on offense. This guy truly gives us an opportunity to do that. He's one of the players that obviously was very high on our board. We had an opportunity to take him, and we did. I'm very excited about it."
On if it was the Browns' plan to draft a WR right away:
Jackson: "As fast as I could get one (laughter), and obviously, one that runs really fast and knows how to score touchdowns. That's what this guy can do for us."
On what sets Coleman apart from the other receivers in the draft:
Jackson: "Obviously, this guy's made a lot of uncommon plays at Baylor. His ability to run, his ability to change direction, his ability to make plays when it's tough, he's made some very tough plays in some very tough situations. I think this guy's arrow is just going to go through the roof."
On valuing extra picks by moving back and also hoping that the player want will be there:
Jackson: "I just lean on this guy over here (DePodesta) and the rest of our organization. I'll let him answer that one."
DePodesta: "It's a constant conversation that we've had not only tonight but really over the last couple weeks, trying to weigh all the different scenarios and depending on what player is there what we'd be willing to do to move off of a particular player. Tonight, we had an opportunity. Corey is a guy that I think we've had in our sights for a while, and we felt like if the right opportunity presented itself to move in the middle of the first round where we felt like we could get him and pick up really value for doing that, then that's something we would do."
On if the trade with the Titans was done before the Browns went on the clock at No. 8:
DePodesta: "We had talked to them throughout the day today, as well as a handful of other clubs, at least to have an idea, but, nothing is really done until it's in the moment because we also didn't know who was going to be on the board for us at No. 8. We may have done something differently depending on what players were available to us there."
On Jackson previously saying he wanted to add height to his WRs and what he liked about Coleman compared to taller WRs in the draft:
Jackson: "But he is bigger. He's 5'10" and a little over 5'10". The guy caught 74 balls, over 1,300 yards and 20 TDs. One thing we need to do, as I said earlier, is become more dynamic on offense. This guy can score in a number of different ways – by catching it, by running it. He has tremendous ability. He's probably one of the most dynamic players in this draft on offense, arguably. Again, he has the talent to do exactly what we're trying to get accomplished on offense. I think he's going to fit in really well here."
On isolating Coleman from being a good player because of his ability and some of it having to do with the conference that he's in:
Jackson: "I think the most important thing is that you see the skill and talent on video tape. Then, it's my job to put him in situations and my staff's job to give him the best opportunity to have success. I feel very comfortable in doing that."
On Coleman saying that he wants to emulate Steelers WR Antonio Brown and if that is a stretch:
Jackson: "Oh boy (laughter). That's a good emulation. He's got to work to get there. There's no question because obviously AB (Brown) is one of the best in pro football. If this guy has that aspiration to be that, boy, that's a pretty good act to follow."
On if aspiring to emulate Brown is a stretch:
Jackson: "Obviously, Corey has tremendous lateral ability like AB does, and it's not fair to compare because this guy has got to do it. He's got to do it on this level. What Antonio Brown is is kind of unheard of. At the same time, this guy is going to make his way, and I'm glad he wants to compare himself that way and he feels that's one of the guys he idolizes. Hopefully, he can get there in time."
On how much of an adjustment it will be for a Coleman coming to the NFL as a WR from Baylor's offensive system:
Jackson: "There will be an adjustment period for him, but at the same time, I truly feel like we have one of the best wide receiver coaches in pro football in (senior offensive assistant/wide receivers coach) Al Saunders, who spent some time with him. I think we'll create the right environment for Corey to get up to speed as fast as he can, and obviously, he's demonstrated the ability to run some of the routes that we have in our tree and to give him an opportunity to have some early success."
On Coleman's character and if Jackson shows receivers Bengals WR A.J. Green's tape when they visit:
Jackson: "That kind of got out tonight, huh? No, what I tried to do with him when I had an opportunity to meet with him is really, like you say, find out about his personality. He has a lot of charisma. He's very confident. Mainly, receivers are very confident. Some of the ones I've coached, they're kind of like that. They want the ball. He's going to be one of the guys who want the ball, and you want a guy who wants the ball. At the same time, I think he recognizes that our culture here is one that you have to come in and work extremely hard to have an opportunity to do what he's done in college. I think he's willing to put in the work, but he's a young man who's very intelligent, willing to work, willing to grind, as you would say, to get it done. That's very exciting."
On if QB Robert Griffin III and WR Corey Coleman's familiarity with Baylor's offense will allow him to incorporate some of those concepts, given his tendency to adjust his offense for his personnel:
Jackson: "I knew that was coming. It is not really about that to be honest with you. We are going to create the Browns offense and what we think is best for 11 men to play. It won't just be about Corey or Robert. Obviously, Robert (Griffin III) still has to earn the right to be our quarterback. At the same time, I think it gives us another element. It gives us another dynamic player to add to our roster to give us the opportunity to be who we want to be on offense."
On not trading up from No. 32 to take a second first-round pick and if the Browns did not ever consider it because it would involve surrendering draft capital:
DePodesta: "No, I don't think so. At the end of the day, it is about acquiring good players and trying to figure out the best spot to do that and the best way to do that, not just in the immediate term but in the longer term also. I think we were in there tonight after we traded down to No. 8 and then we traded down to No. 15, those of us – (Executive Vice President of Football Operations) Sashi (Brown), (vice president of player personnel) Andrew (Berry) and I – said, 'Let's start picking players,' and Hue was the one saying, 'Be patient. We'll get them.' I think roles were reversed at that point. We would consider anything. We considered today moving up at a particular position. I think we would in the right spot, but I do not think we would do it often."
On why the Browns were so confident they would get their player at No. 15:
Jackson: "Well, you never know, but again, you know when players start to fall and you just stay true to what our process has been and I think that is what we have done a great job of. Again, with Sashi's leadership and Paul and Andrew, I think they have done a good job of playing all the different scenarios that we can. We have had patience throughout. Sometimes, like they said, they may want to pick and I say 'Hold on.' Other times, I want to pick and they said, 'Hold on'. It has been really good. Like I said, once you stay true to the things we have put in place, I think eventually some good things are going fall our way. I think tonight, obviously it did. The guy that we wanted was sitting there and we were able to get him.
On how Coleman's age affected the Browns' assessment:
DePodesta: "I don't think it is a major factor, but if you have two different guys and they are the same player and one of them is 24 and the other is 21, I think we would prefer to take the younger one, but not that is a major piece of the analysis. We certainly want to make sure that guys are able to play at this level come September. We felt like he was, but he certainly stills has room to grow, also, which you had mentioned.
On if the Browns considered Baylor's offensive scheme when evaluating Coleman:
DePodesta: "We have looked at their system's receivers in the past to get an idea, but I won't tell you that it was scientific. From my standpoint, I felt like if can be productive as he was only running four routes imagine what he can do under his (Jackson) scheme. I actually think it is an upside for us."
On the collective experience and dynamic tonight for Browns leadership:
DePodesta: "I can ask him. It might be my 21st draft but my first one in the NFL, and Hue has been to a lot more of them. We have worked really, really well together for the last four months. It just continued tonight. We had good discussions. We had good debates when the time came, and ultimately, like Hue said, we stuck to our plan and were able to execute it."
On if the Browns reviewed the results of past teams who traded back multiple times in the first round, considering it hasn't happened often:
DePodesta: "No because like you said, it hasn't happened all that often. We have looked, but there wasn't much of a sample size there to take much from it. The big thing for us was just trying to figure out how to get not only the players that we really wanted but also have as much draft capital as possible because we are trying to build a great organization over a long period of time here. Tonight, hopefully, is a perfect example of that. We got a combination of the player that we really wanted that we thought was a great fit for us now, and yet we also have a few more bites at the apple not only tomorrow but also next year."
On if the Browns prefer picks down road when discussing trades or is just what teams offered:
DePodesta: "It's not necessarily preferable, but I think there's always a balance. We obviously have extra picks this year that we picked up as part of these transactions, as well. It is nice to space them out a little bit so they're not all in one year so you're not banking everything one particular draft class. As we sit here now, we have extra picks in 2017 and 2018, and in fact in 2017, I think we have two firsts, two seconds and we may end up with two thirds, a couple of fourths. We literally may have, in effect, two drafts next year within the first four rounds at least. Then, we also have an extra second rounder in 2018. Look, we may use those picks to move up in the draft or do other things with. It's certainly a good position to be in. The most important thing at the end of the day is getting the players we want to get and the players we think are going to make a difference here. That's why we are so happy tonight that we were able to accomplish both things, which is to get Corey and increase our chances going forward."
On if the trade with Tennessee happened only while the Browns were on the clock or if it was in the works all day:
DePodesta: "No, we talked with them as well as handful of other clubs sort of throughout the day and some of the clubs we even talked to before today."
On if something immediately jumped off tape about WR Corey Coleman:
Jackson: "Touchdowns. He scores touchdowns. The guy, he can light it up from anywhere on the field, like I said, by catching it and running with it. He has the ability to score the ball, and that's something we need to improve on."
On the value of the No. 32 overall pick to the Browns and other teams:
Jackson: "I think it's going to be very valuable, and I think probably our phone will ring off the hook tonight. I think we will have a lot more of these discussions tomorrow. At the end of the day, the most important part for us is to make the best decision for our organization and make sure that we are still continuing to put very talented football players on our football team."
